Murim Login - Chapter 484

Finding the destination wasn’t too difficult. The experienced sailors, already familiar with the waterways from previous journeys, skillfully steered the ship forward.

‘Shwaa…’

It was hard to believe that a storm had raged just two days ago. The river was calm, and the breeze felt refreshing.

As I sat at the bow of the ship, basking in the sunlight overhead, I noticed a familiar scene in the passing landscape.

‘Yes, it was definitely around here.’

The [Fragment of Memory] contained the memories of the Water Dragon, and I could see and feel everything from its perspective. Naturally, I also knew the way to the destination.

“Hey, Cheongpung, are we heading the right way?”

Cheongpung tilted his head at my sudden question.

“Yes, we are. Why do you ask?”

“Well, it feels slightly different from what I remember. Especially that cliff over there…”

“Ah, that? There’s a reason for that.”

“What kind of reason?”

“Well, we followed the path as instructed, but there was only a narrow gap barely wide enough for a hand to fit through.”

“Ah…”

It made sense. The area had been untouched by humans for ages. Over time, sediment accumulated until the cliff eventually blocked the path.

For the Water Dragon, swimming underneath the cliff wasn’t an issue, but humans were a different story.

“So, what did you do?”

“We cut through it.”

“…You cut through it?”

“Yes, with swords. The elder from the Wudang Sect and I took care of it.”

What the… He was talking about slicing through a cliff as if it were paper.

Then again, with someone like the legendary Wudang master, Hyun Gong Jin, and Cheongpung, it wasn’t impossible.

Even I could manage such a feat without much trouble.

“Anyway, we cleared the path. It wasn’t too hard. I heard the rest of the crew who arrived later cleaned it up further.”

“…I see.”

Sometimes, I forget. I’m surrounded by monsters. And I’m one of them.

Nearby, Jeok Cheon-Gang poked Moon Kyung in the side after overhearing our conversation.

“Has the world gone mad? It wasn’t like this in our youth. It’s just that they’re monsters, isn’t it?”

“Don’t lump me in with them. It’s annoying.”

“So, how old were you when you became a supreme master?”

“…Those brats are the monsters.”

“Right. That must be it. Sigh, the heavens have dimmed, and even Murim has changed.”

Jeok Cheon-Gang sighed as the ship sailed smoothly through the neatly sliced cliffside, revealing a new landscape and new faces ahead.

‘Papat!’ ‘Swish!’

Martial artists, masters of the ‘Dengping Dushui’ technique, descended onto the water with an imposing aura, blocking the ship.

“Stop! State your names and aliases, and undergo identification procedures before proceeding!”

Jeok Cheon-Gang, already irritable from recent watery encounters, poked his head out with a face like a fiend.

“This old one is the Fire King.”

“Ugh!”

“If you block me, you’ll die.”

“Y-Yes!”

“Open the way! Do not stop them!”

‘Papat!’

The martial artists who had blocked the way fled at twice the speed of their arrival. Watching them retreat, Gong Gi-bang muttered.

“Was Wudang’s movement technique always that fast? We’ll need to be cautious.”

No. They probably just sensed their doom and ran for their lives.

In any case, everything went smoothly afterward. With Jeok Cheon-Gang’s fearsome presence, my own well-known face, and the company of Cheongpung and Gong Gi-bang, no one dared to stand in our way.

“Oh, did someone just recognize me?”

“Of course. There’s no one else who would travel around with me looking like this.”

“Wow, I think someone recognized me too!”

“Naturally. You’re the only human who walks around with a horned serpent.”

“Right.”

Ignoring the sulking Gong Gi-bang and Cheongpung, I focused on the scene ahead.

Archers, perched on the towering cliffs, were poised to fire. Hidden experts’ presences could be sensed in every corner.

‘Wudang Sect, Zhuge Family, and even the Beggars’ Sect are here.’

The level of vigilance was extreme.

Considering the weight and importance of this matter, it was only natural.

“Did the Governor of Hubei decide to bury this incident completely?”

Jin Wi-gyeong nodded heavily at my question.

“For now, yes. Ordinary people wouldn’t take kindly to hearing that a five-hundred-year-old water dragon went berserk.”

“That’s true.”

The people’s trust is a double-edged sword. They worship the Emperor when things are fine, but when calamities like floods or earthquakes occur, they claim the nation is cursed and turn against it.

Add a plague to the mix, and farmers abandon their fields to revolt with hoes in hand. That’s the spirit of these times.

Imagine how they’d react to the revelation that a revered divine being had gone mad and killed thousands. It was only logical for the Hubei Governor to keep this hidden.

“But he did agree, to some extent, that the Dark Heaven group is incredibly dangerous.”

“…To some extent? Even after this disaster?”

I take that back. The Governor was clearly out of his mind.

Covering up the existence of the Water Dragon was one thing, but to acknowledge the danger of Dark Heaven only partially?

He was still deluding himself.

“It’s arrogance born from complacency. They think Murim is just Murim and that it has no impact on their governance. I tried to convince him otherwise, but it was no use.”

Jeok Cheon-Gang interjected with a curt tone.

“Those fools in the government never change. They were the same during the Great Demonic War. When the Demonic Cult invaded Sichuan, they just stood by. Only when the civilian casualties skyrocketed did they scramble to muster their forces.”

“So, what happened then?”

“What happened? Well, as the Demonic Cult retreated, a so-called great general showed up and acted all high and mighty. He went on about how it was all thanks to the Emperor’s grace, as if that made any difference. Sure, the Emperor is technically the ruler of the country, so it doesn’t matter who wins. But then he had the audacity to congratulate us for our victory with that nonsense speech,” Jeok Cheon-Gang said with disdain.

“You showed remarkable patience, considering your temper. That’s practically saintly,” I remarked, giving him a sidelong glance.

Jeok Cheon-Gang looked at me like I had lost my mind.

“Why would I have endured that? I was about to beat him to death. If Gyeongdo hadn’t stopped me, it wouldn’t have been called the Great Demonic War but the Great Civil War instead.”

“…Ah, I see.”

“Anyway, don’t expect too much from the government. Be satisfied that they pinned the blame for this disaster on the Dark Heaven’s pawns, even if it meant taking down some rogue factions.”

Jin Wi-gyeong chuckled bitterly at this.

“Yes, fortunately, public anger and suspicion toward Dark Heaven are now sky-high among the people.”

“Even though those factions had nothing to do with this incident, it’s not entirely unjustified. After all, they were rogues. This might be a good opportunity to root them out for good.”

Through an agreement with Murim, the authorities had used the rogue factions in Hubei as scapegoats to pacify the people’s anger. Both sides got what they wanted—an unspoken give-and-take arrangement.

Of course, this incident only served to elevate the reputations of me and my companions even further.

‘Even if Dark Heaven acts more recklessly, I’m not sure the authorities will step in.’

As I mused on this, our steadily advancing ship finally came to a halt.

We docked at a temporary pier connected to the cliff. Dozens of eyes turned toward us.

“It’s Jeok Cheon-Gang Daehyeop!”

“And there’s Hu Gae. So that’s where the Fire Dragon of Hwasan went.”

“Wait. Isn’t that young man the Blazing Fire Dragon?”

“Did you hear? They’re saying among the leadership that the Blazing Fire Dragon was the one who took down the water dragon…”

Even though they were whispering, I could hear everything. Annoyed, I furrowed my brow, and the murmurs quickly died down.

The silence didn’t last long, though, as a loud voice shattered it.

“Oh, you’ve arrived!”

A man drenched in mud and river water, his hair tangled with water plants, came rushing through the water toward us.

As I watched the middle-aged man wade through the river, I muttered to myself.

‘To think someone like that is the head of the Zhuge family.’

It was a sudden realization, but Zhuge Pung, the ‘Sleeping Dragon’, was certainly one of the most eccentric figures in Murim.

“Head of the family, this is hardly appropriate. There are outsiders here. You should maintain your dignity…”

“Out of the way, Uncle!”

“Dignity? Pah!”

With no regard for appearances, Zhuge Pung shoved aside the elder trying to stop him and rushed toward us, his face alight with excitement.

“I found it. I found it, I tell you!”

“Ah, yes. I heard from Cheongpung that you…”

“At first, I thought it was nonsense. But there it was, just as you said, plain as day!”

Was it really necessary to be this blunt? After I had explained everything so carefully, he still thought it was nonsense?

Seeing my expression, Zhuge Pung adopted a more serious tone.

“Our ancestor, Zhuge Wu-hou, always said, ‘Knock on the bridge before crossing it.’ Don’t take offense.”

Is citing their ancestor a Zhuge family motto or some sort of genetic trait? I eyed Zhuge Pung skeptically.

“…Did Zhuge Wu-hou really say that? I thought that was an old saying from another country.”

“Surely, he must have said it once in his life. But does that matter right now?”

Unbelievable.

The Zhuge family and their penchant for borrowing things was truly unmatched.

Before I could respond, Zhuge Pung turned on his heel and began walking.

“Follow me.”

Jeok Cheon-Gang, who had been suppressing his irritation, glared at Zhuge Pung with a sharp gaze.

“Follow me? Was that directed at this old one?”

“Of course not, Senior Jeok. I misspoke.”

“Then watch your mouth and straighten your tongue before I straighten it for you.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And why are you walking so slowly? My grandmother moves faster than you.”

“Ack!”

Zhuge Pung suddenly moved with the speed and discipline of a first-year martial arts student. He dashed ahead using his movement technique, and before long, we arrived at a sight even the [Fragment of Memory] hadn’t revealed.

“This is…”

“When I was nine, I came up with this design. It took two days to bring it here. What do you think?”

A massive stone structure stood like a wall in the river, its construction an impressive feat. I nodded as I examined it.

“It’s incredible.”

“Since it’s impossible to investigate underwater for long, we sealed off the area using stones cut from the cliffs, draining all the water inside. If we’d relied on regular workers, it would’ve taken months.”

While Zhuge Pung’s ingenious design played a role, it was only thanks to Murim’s martial artists that such a feat was accomplished in two days.

“Could everyone clear the area for a moment?”

As soon as we descended below the stone wall, Zhuge Pung issued the command. The Zhuge family’s formation experts withdrew without hesitation.

Finally, I could see it. A towering cliff that had stood untouched for ages, with a massive gap running right through its center.

‘Swish.’

My hand instinctively reached out to the gap.

‘Beep.’

A foreboding system notification pierced my ears.